Custom Prepackaging Method and Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A packaging apparatus is provided that sequentially advances rows of pockets formed in plastic sheet to a drop system where preselected medications or small articles are dropped into pockets and sealed to form an easily managed packet array.

The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/262,411, filed Nov. 18, 2009, which is incorporated herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to custom packaging, and in particular the operation of custom packaging apparatus to provide a series of daily medication packages in a convenient form.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the rapid pharmacological advances over the past half century, more and more medical conditions can be treated with medicines. In addition, medical advances have led to longer life spans and longer survivability for individuals who have been diagnosed with illness, disease, or treatable conditions such as high cholesterol or elevated blood pressure.

Obviously, in supplying medication to patients, or when patients are self administering medication, it is important that the patient be supplied and take the correct medications. It is important to the patient's treatment that proper medications be taken, and it is important to hospital and assisted living facilities that proper medications be supplied to patients for liability reasons. It is also important to pharmacies to maintain control over the medicines being supplied so that opportunities for pilferage by facility employees is minimized and patients are discouraged from borrowing medications from other time periods.

Problems that have arisen include difficulty of patients, due to reduced mental or physical agility, in being able to manipulate multiple pill bottles and remember the schedule for each of the 2 to 12 medicines that many patients take on a regular basis. Many devices and systems have been devised to attempt to address this including programmable electronic reminder devices, daily and weekly compartmentalized containers holding medications, and even strips of labeled packaging that can be provided by the $90,000 Parata fill machine.

It is desirable that the grouping of medications for each time of administration be sorted in the pharmacy by trained personnel who can manipulate a patient's medication schedule in an electronic computer system. In order to facilitate the patient's recognition and use of medications, it is preferable that the medications be preloaded into packets, typically holding a day or week's medications on a single strip of packaging. Similarly, in an assisted living facility, a nurse may supply a resident with an entire day's worth of medications and the patient can self-administer at appropriate times during the day. This eliminates the risk of hospital staff pilfering valuable or controlled medications and also prevents the patient from “borrowing” medications from the following day's supply and then claiming those medications were not provided.

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a packet array and an apparatus that is designed to fill pockets with medications and seal those pockets into convenient packets in a nearly continuous operation. For instance, for most patients who take medications four times a day, an array of packaging would consist of seven rows (one for each day of the week) and four columns (one for each time of day in which medications are taken). The 4×7 array of packaging may be perforated so that the patient may tear off a day's medications and carry it in a pocket or purse for convenience. The apparatus utilizes servo motor to drive a sheet of plastic pockets sequentially beneath a plurality of those compartments. Vacuum or other opening device insures pockets are opened and doses are dropped into each row of pockets. In one embodiment, a printer labels the plastic prior to filling with doses of medication. In another embodiment, the plastic is preprinted.

The inputs for the method are medications, packaging machine, and packaging with the array of unsealed pockets, typically fed from a roll to the packaging apparatus. In a manual embodiment, the pharmacy sorts the appropriate medications for a patient for a day and places those medications into a tray. While the tray may be a simple “daily” tray, it is generally preferred that the tray be designed to correspond to the pockets on the bag stock, so that a 4×7 tray is contemplated to be preloaded at the pharmacy. The 4×7 tray is then placed on the packaging apparatus. The plastic stock is fed and a row of pockets is opened by insertion or by vacuum, a row of four holders of daily medication is opened to drop the medications down through guides into appropriate separate pockets. The pockets are heat sealed and advanced. The tray and plastic stock are advanced and the next day's medications are dropped through the guides for packaging and the process repeated. The bags can advantageously be preprinted with dates and times, or the bags may be passed through a custom printing apparatus that corresponds to the medications being packaged.

It is desirable that the apparatus have a manual mode so that medications that are not easily dispensed through the guides into the pockets may be added manually. These would most typically include foil sealed medication. In a more advanced form, the trays can be filled by robotic apparatus.

While the usage of the method and apparatus is for the packaging and distribution medications, it is also possible to utilize the method for packaging parts, especially parts used in assembly kits, including bolts, nuts, washers, plugs, screws and similar small items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be more easily understood with reference to the following figures that are presented for the purposes of illustration and not limitation, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the principal components of the packaging apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the packaging apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a front plan view of the packaging apparatus with seven rows of medication containing packets having been processed;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a 4×7 tray into which daily medication doses for an entire week may be placed;

FIG. 6 is a tray to hold medication doses for a single day; and

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a portion of plastic packaging stock.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An examination of FIG. 1 is helpful to explain the basic operation of the packaging apparatus 10. The principal components of the apparatus 10 include the master controller 22, the servo motor drive system 23, a roll 20 containing a sheet 21, preferably of a thermoplastic packaging stock, with four columns of unsealed pockets, and a pill drop system 30. In operation, a roll 20 of plastic packaging 21 is mounted on the machine and fed across alignment shelf 26. In an enhanced version of the apparatus, a printer may be mounted above the printing area 27 and the packaging custom printed as it advances across the alignment shelf 26. Alternatively, the packaging material may be preprinted, typically in a generic fashion with color coding and/or indications for morning, noon, dinner, and night across the four columns, and possibly with days of the week assigned to each row. The packaging material may also be used without printing when appropriate, and if needed, adhesive labels may be affixed.

From the alignment shelf 26, the packaging proceeds to rollers 29, that are preferably driven in communication with a servo motor and have high friction surfaces that engage the packaging 21 to precisely advance the packaging 21 precisely as needed. The packaging 21 is advanced to location beneath the pill drop system 30. The pill drop system 30 has a plurality of dose compartments 31 with pneumatically or electronically controlled bottom openings that allow the dose compartments 31 to communicate with pill drop funnels 38, best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. The pill drop system 30 may also include labels 32 to designate the time of day for each group of medications, typically corresponding approximately to 7:00 a.m., noon, 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. in a general fashion which could as easily be denominated breakfast, lunch, dinner and bed time, if desired. A machine operator fills each of the four dose compartments 31 with the desired assortment of medication and the machine is ready for operation.

In typical operation, a first section of the packaging material 21 will be advanced as a header 42 and then the following row of unsealed pockets 39 will be aligned below pill drop funnels 38. In order to ensure that pockets 39 (best seen in FIG. 3) are open, one or more techniques may be employed. One technique is the application of compressed air via tube 28 through pill drop funnels 38 or other downward directed openings within the pill drop system 30. The air will tend to open the pockets 39. In addition, a vacuum system 36, such as vacuum tube 34 and vacuum cups 35 (best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4) may be employed to pull the top sheet of pockets 39 outward to create an opening. Finally, the plastic packaging material 21 may be moved in reverse and a lower lip 38 a of pill drop funnels 38 may by insertion action urge the pockets 39 into open position. Preferably, the packaging material 21 is marked or scored in a fashion that is read by an optical or physical detector to ensure that the material is accurately indexed for reverse movement. The combination of compressed air flow and insertion action even allows the pill drop funnels 38 to enter the pockets 39. When the pockets are open, the pill drop system is activated to allow the contents of dose compartments 31 to drop through pill drop funnels 38 and into the pockets 39. When the pill drop funnels 38 are positioned so that the contents are delivered to the interior of the pockets 39, the chances of any delivery failure due to a miss or bounce-out are virtually eliminated. As the packaging is advanced, the now filled pockets 39 move below the heat seal bar 37 which is activated to seal the filled pockets 39 and thereby form a row of packets 40. In a typical case, the process is repeated seven times to form seven daily rows of packets 40 and then an empty footer section 41 is processed.

To avoid the necessity of filling dose compartments 31 during the operation of packaging apparatus 10 the use of a daily tray 55 as shown in FIGS. 6 or a weekly tray 50 as shown in FIG. 5 is preferred. In a suitable tray, 50, 55, there are a plurality of dosage openings 51 that can be filled according to the patient's medication schedule. These openings 51 communicate through their depth 52 to the bottom of tray, however, a closure device such as a sliding member 57 in slot 56 is kept in place until the tray 55 is positioned over the appropriate dose compartments 31 of the pill drop system. Then the sliding member may be removed to allow the contents of the openings 51 to drop into compartments 31. The weekly tray 50 easily accommodates a similar mechanism in the form of a sliding tray 54 that fits beneath the tray 50 and is held in position by J-shaped edges that ride in slots 53 along the sides of the tray 50. The weekly tray 50 may even be advanced automatically by an additional drive system associated with the servo motor drive system 23. After a week's medications have been loaded into packets, and the last row has been heat sealed, the footer 41 is advanced and preferably cut, whether by a physical cutting device or application of the heat sealing apparatus at a higher temperature setting.

In operation, the machine operator may manually halt the indexing of packaging material 21 to the next row of pockets and manually insert medications that do not fit easily through the pill drop system 30. Typically, these would be individual blister wrapped medications that are more common in over the counter medication packaging.

While the invention has been explained with respect to medications, it is contemplated that the apparatus may be utilized for packaging of other small articles such as fastening devices utilized within due it yourself building kits, or other small parts that need to be more readily packaged and handled.

The result is that small articles are prepackaged in transparent, flexible, and optionally color coded or labeled plastic bags that are easily accessible to the end user. The transparency of the packaging enables the contents to be inspected for accuracy. In the event that an error is detected in the packaging of parts or medication, the packages may be slit open, the contents corrected, and resealed with a small heat seal device. The result is easier management of small articles in an easy form of distribution.

While the packaging material 21 has been described as being manufactured as four columns that are intended to be filled in increments of seven rows and separated by footer and header sections, the packaging may be manufactured in many different configurations and is advantageously manufactured with perforations to allow the finished packages to be easily separated. As shown in FIG. 7, the plastic packaging material 21 has a back sheet 61 on which pockets 39 are formed by the sealing of leading edges 62 and side edges 63 to the back sheet 61. The trailing edges 65 of pockets 39 are left open so that the pockets 39 can be filled. Thus, the preferred packaging material is a four column array of pockets that are perforated 66, although unperforated material may be used and a perforating apparatus may be added to the packaging apparatus 10, if desired. In a further enhancement, the apparatus may be utilized in connection with a robot that fills the loading tray 50 with the desired medications.

All publications, patent, and patent documents mentioned herein are incorporated by reference herein as though individually incorporated by reference. Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail herein, it will be understood that various substitutions and modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiment described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as recited in the appended claims. 

1. A packaging apparatus having a controller providing signals to a servo motor to operate an indexing roller and thereby advance an array of pockets formed on a plastic sheet to a position a row of said pockets beneath a drop system having a plurality of compartments selectively operable to drop contents therein through drop funnels; a pocket opening apparatus operable by said controller to open the row of pockets when positioned beneath the drop system, and a pocket sealing apparatus.
 2. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket opening apparatus is an insertion member.
 3. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket opening apparatus comprises a vacuum system.
 4. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket opening apparatus comprises an air blowing apparatus.
 5. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a tray with openings therein that are receivable over the compartments of the drop system to deposit contents of the tray through the openings into said compartments.
 6. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plastic sheet is fed from a roll across an alignment shelf to the indexing roller.
 7. The packaging apparatus of claim 6 wherein a printer positioned above the plastic sheet on the alignment shelf is operable to print on the plastic sheet.
 8. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a manually activated stop to permit manual filling of a pocket.
 9. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drop system has four compartments.
 10. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drop system is pneumatically operated.
 11. A method of preparing transparent packets of small items comprising the steps of: (a) feeding a thermoplastic packaging material having a back sheet configured with an array of pockets sealed along their leading and side edges so that a trailing edge of a row of pockets is upward facing beneath a drop system; (b) utilizing an opening apparatus to ensure that the trailing edge of the pocket is separate from the backing sheet making the pocket open in an upward facing direction; (c) operating the drop system to empty the contents of compartments therein into the pockets; (d) heat sealing the trailing edge of the pockets to form closed packets enclosing the contents dropped therein.
 12. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 11 wherein the thermoplastic packaging material is perforated between the pockets.
 13. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 11 wherein the array of pockets has four columns and the process of preparing transparent packets is repeated seven times to create a 4×7 array of packets.
 14. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 11 the packaging material is fed between a shelf and a printer and data is printed on the packaging material before proceeding to positioning beneath the drop system.
 15. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 11 wherein the feeding of packaging material is manually stopped while an item that is not easily dispensed by the drop system is added by an operator.
 16. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 11 wherein the drop system has four compartments.
 17. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 16 wherein a tray with a row of four openings is prefilled with medications according to a patient's prescriptions and the tray is used to transfer the medications into corresponding compartments of the drop system.
 18. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 11 wherein the opening apparatus comprises an insertion member and the packaging material is advanced until the trailing edge passes the insertion member and then the motion of the packaging material is reversed so that the insertion member slides between the trailing edge of the pocket and the back sheet.
 19. The method of preparing transparent packets of claim 11 wherein the closed packets are inspected for packaging contents errors, and upon detection of an error the packet is slit open, the contents corrected, and the packaging resealed.
 20. A method of preparing transparent packets of medications comprising the steps of: a) prefilling a tray with a row of four openings by placing medications in the openings according to a patient's prescriptions; b) utilizing said tray to transfer the medications into four corresponding compartments of a drop system; c) feeding a thermoplastic packaging material having a backsheet configured with an array of pockets having perforations therebetween, said pockets being sealed along their leading and side edges, to position where a trailing edge of a row of pockets is upward facing beneath the drop system; d) continuing to feed the thermoplastic packaging material until a marking on the packaging material is detected that indicates the trailing edge is advanced beyond insertion members that are biased against the packaging material; e) reversing the feeding direction of the packaging material so that the insertion members slide between the trailing edges of the row of pockets and the backsheet making the pocket open in an upward facing direction; f) operating the drop system to empty the medications from the compartments into corresponding pockets; g) advancing the thermoplastic packaging material and heat sealing the trailing edges of the pockets to form closed packets enclosing the medications dropped therein; and h) advancing the thermoplastic packaging material so that trailing edges of the next row of pockets is upward facing beneath the drop system. 